Electrically illuminated ornamental display

ABSTRACT

An electrically illuminated ornamental display comprising a body member of any shape provided with a plurality of spaced body socket openings which are adapted to receive and support a decorative lighting string of lights, which string of lights comprises a plurality of electrical sockets each with a bulb therein, with the electrical sockets connected by electrical conductors to form a string of lights, said body member adapted to receive said string of lights by inserting the electrical sockets from the rear of the body member into said body sockets, with the body member hiding the electrical conductors. The body member and the body sockets are integrally molded of a plastic material.

nited States Patent 1191 1' l lli Yellin May I, 1973 [5 1 ELECTRICALLYILLUMINATED 3,233,207 2/1966 Ahroni et al. ..240/10 T x ORNAMENTALDISPLAY 3,011,743 12/1961 Heath ..248/27 [76] lnvemor' gi gi g i g 5 5233 Kolmar Primary Examiner-Joseph F. Peters, Jr.

Attorney-Max R. Kraus [22] Filed: Feb. 4, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 223,481[57] ABSTRACT An electrically illuminated ornamental display com- 52 us.c1. ..240/10 R, 161/12 Prism? member Of any shape Pmhded with a 51 Int.Cl. ..A47g 33/00 Plural Spaced hOdY 50cm which [58] Field of Search..240/10 R, 10 F, 10 P, adapted receive and SUPPO" decmmh'e lighting240/10 T, 10 S, 161/8, 12, 15, 18, 19, string of lights, which string oflights comprises a plu- 20 21 22 23 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 rality of electricalsockets each with a bulb therein, with the electrical sockets connectedby electrical 5 References Cited conductors to form a string of lights,said body member adapted to receive said string of lights by in- UNlTEDSTATES PATENTS serting the electrical sockets from the rear of the body1,980,708 11/1934 Szel ..161/8 ux member said Sockets with the bodymember 2,864,192 12/1958 Shoalts ..240/10T hiding the electricalconductors- The y member 3,619,598 11/1971 Hermanson.. .....240/10 T andthe body sockets are integrally molded of a plastic 2,141,878 12/1938Roby ..248/27 material. 3,229,083 1/1966 George.. .....240/8.l63,604,918 9/1971 Cook ..240/8. 16 5 Claims, 5 Drawing FiguresELECTRICALLY ILLUMINATED ORNAMENTAL DISPLAY BRIEF SUMMARY OF THEINVENTION It has been a common practice in the art to provide as a unita decorative lighting string which comprises a plurality of electricalsockets each with an ornamental light bulb and where the plurality ofelectrical sockets are connected by flexible electrical wires to form astring of decorative lights. This decorative string of lights isnormally loosely draped, hung or strung on an object, such as aChristmas tree or the like, for the purpose of decoratively lightingsame. The loosely draped string of lights assumes a random shapedepending upon how it is draped or hangs on the object. There arecertain disadvantages in the use of such a string of lights in thismanner for the conducting wire is exposed to view and it does notprovide the maximum ornamental advantages which might be obtained.

The purpose of this invention is to utilize such a decorative lightingstring in a body or holder of a distinctive shape so that the string oflights forms with said body an ornamental illuminating display. Inaddition, it is an object of this invention to permit the use of such adecorative lighting string as a unit whereby the electrical sockets ofsaid decorative lighting string are inserted through the rear of thedisplay figure and are retained in said display figure and theelectrical wire is hidden from view. This is accomplished withoutdisassembling or disconnecting the decorative string of lights so'thatsuch a string of lights may be utilized in'its manufactured form veryreadily and associated with the display figure or body in a minimum oftime so as to be a part of the display figure.

Another object of this invention is to provide a body member with thebody sockets integrally molded of a plastic material which provides aninexpensive structure for supporting a string of light bulbs;

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front plan view of one form of ornamental figure showing theinvention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view partly in section taken on line 2--2 of FIG.1 but without the string of lights.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front plan viewof a portion of the ornamentalfigure.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded view showing the ornamental figure and the socketwith. the electrical socket and light bulb.

The conventional string of decorative lights is generally designated bythe numeral and same comprises a plurality or series of miniatureelectrical sockets generally indicated at 12 connected by means of pairsof flesible electrical conducting wires 14 covered by suitableinsulation. The conducting wires 14 are connected to a conventional plug(not shown) which is inserted into a conventional electrical outlet forsupplying the electrical current to the string of decorative lights.Each of said miniature electrical sockets 12 is internally provided witha pair of spaced recesses 16 with the conducting wires 14 electricallyconnected to and in communication with said recesses 16. The miniaturedecorative light bulb 18 has-a pair of electrical conducting prongs 20which are inserted in the wires recessed 16 of the socket 12 to completethe electrical circuit to the decorative lights 18. A ring-like member22 surrounds the conducting wires 14 and is positioned adjacent thebottom or rear of the electrical socket 12.

The miniature decorative light bulb 18 is of a generally candle-shapedconfiguration, the bottom of which is provided with the pair of spacedprongs 20 which are inserted in the socket recesses 16 to establish theelectrical contact. The miniature light bulb 18 has an annular flange 24which when the bulb is inserted in the socket abuts against the outeredge of the mouth of the socket, as best seen in FIG. 4.

The electrical socket 12 includes a tubular extension 26 which is of areduced diameter from that of the mouth portion 28 of the socket toprovide a shoulder 30 therebetween. The decorative bulbs and theirsockets, electrically connected as aforesaid to form a string of suchlights is conventional.

The invention herein is directed to the use of such a conventionalstring of lights in combination with a display figure. The displayfigure herein identified by the numeral 34 is merely for the purpose ofillustration and same is shown in FIG. 1, it being understood that theinvention herein is not limited to that particular shape orof spacedsockets generally indicated at 37, each of said sockets including anopening 38 surrounded by a plurality of arcuate shaped wall segments 40which extend outwardly of the front of the body surface 36; As best seenin FIGS. 3 and 5, there are four spaced segments 40 around each opening38 and the segments 40 are spaced from each other by spacings 42. Thesegments 40 taper or incline inwardly from the surface 36 toward theirouter extremity and this can best be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. The bodymember, including the sockets, are integrally molded of a plasticmaterial and this provides an economically produced structure forsupporting the string of lights.

The spaced sockets 37 of the body or ornamental figure 34 are adapted toeach receive and retain one of the electrical sockets 12 of the stringof lights 10. The electrical socket 12 without the decorative light bulb18 therein is inserted into the opening 38 of the display figure socket37 from the rear or underside of the display figure. Thus, all of theelectrical sockets 12 while connected together in their string are eachinserted from the rear of the display body 34 into their respectivedisplay figure sockets 37. The electrical sockets 12 when insertedthrough the openings 38 are positioned in the openings as shown in FIG.4, with the enlarged portion 28 of the socket 12 confined within thearcuate shaped wall segment 40, with the reduced tubular portion 26 ofthe socket extending inwardly or rearwardly of the wall 36.

The spacedarcuate tapering segments 40 serve to provide a frictionalcontact between the inside surface of said segments and the portion 28of the electrical sockets 12. The segments 40 will also providesufficient give or expansion between the segments to permit theelectrical sockets 12 to be inserted into the figure sockets 37 from therear of the figure. After the electrical sockets 12 are inserted, thesegments 40 will move together towards each other to constrict thespaces 42 between the segments and provide the necessary frictionagainst the portion 28 of the sockets to hold them. With all of theelectrical sockets 12 in position in their respective figure displaysockets 37, the miniature decorative bulbs 18 are each then inserted intheir respective electrical sockets 12 from the front of the body of thefigure. The flange 24 of the decorative light bulb 18 will abut againstthe outer edges 41 of the segments 40, as seen in FIG. 4. With thedecorative light bulb 18 positioned in its socket 12, the flange 24 ofthe light bulb will prevent the withdrawal of the electrical sockets l2and the light bulbs 18 from the rear of the figure. The connecting wires14 forming the electrical connectors between the sockets will obviouslybe hidden from the front of the figure body 34 as the wires arepositioned rearwardly of the openings.

While the particular light bulb 18 is described as being inserted fromthe front after the electrical socket 12 has been first inserted intothe body socket 37 from the rear, it will be understood that theelectrical socket 12 with the light bulb 18 therein may be inserted as aunit through the rear of the body socket 37 by making the size of thebody socket 37 large enough to accommodate the insertion from the rear,and that the insertion from the rear of both the electrical socket 12and its light bulb 18 comes within the purview of this invention.

The insertion of the electrical sockets 12 into the figure or bodymember 34 can be accomplished in a relatively short time with theelectrical sockets 12 connected or strung in their original string. Thebulbs 18 are then quickly inserted from the front. This thereforeprovides an ornamental display unit which when illuminated provides adisplay of a distinctive shape.

What is claimed is:

1. An illuminated ornamental display comprising, a body member of ashape to form a distinct configuration, a plurality of openings in saidbody member, a plurality of spaced arcuate-shaped segments extendingoutwardly of the front of the body member and adjacent said openings andformed integrally with said body member, a string of connected electricsockets electrically connected by a flexible electrical conductor andadapted while connected to each other to be secured to said body member,each said socket inserted in the body opening from the rear of the bodyopening while said sockets are electrically connected to said conductor,said spaced segments engaging said sockets to frictionally retain saidsockets in said body member, a light bulb in each of said sockets, saidbody member hiding said flexible conductor.

2. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the body member isintegrally molded of a plastic material and in which the light bulb hasa flange which engages the outer edges of the arcuate-shaped segments.

3. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the arcuate shapedsegments incline inwardly toward the front thereof.

4. A structure as set forth in claim 3 1n Wl'llCh the electrical socketshave a portion extending within the arcuate shaped segments and aportion extending rearwardly thereof. 7

5. A structure as set forth in claim 4 in which the portion of theelectrical socket positioned within the arcuate segment has a greaterdiameter than the portion extending rearwardly thereof.

1. An illuminated ornamental display comprising, a body member of ashape to form a distinct configuration, a plurality of openings in saidbody member, a plurality of spaced arcuateshaped segments extendingoutwardly of the front of the body member and adjacent said openings andformed integrally with said body member, a string of connected electricsockets electrically connected by a flexible electrical conductor andadapted while connected to each other to be secured to said body member,each said socket inserted in the body opening from the rear of the bodyopening while said sockets are electrically connected to said conductor,said spaced segments engaging said sockets to frictionally retain saidsockets in said body member, a light bulb in each of said sockets, saidbody member hiding said flexible conductor.
 2. A structure as set forthin claim 1 in which the body member is integrally molded of a plasticmaterial and in which the light bulb has a flange which engages theouter edges of the arcuate-shaped segments.
 3. A structure as set forthin claim 1 in which the arcuate shaped segments incline inwardly towardthe front thereof.
 4. A structure as set forth in claim 3 in which theelectrical sockets have a portion extending within the arcuate shapedsegments and a portion extending rearwardly thereof.
 5. A structure asset forth in claim 4 in which the portion of the electrical socketpositioned within the arcuate segment has a greater diameter than theportion extending rearwardly thereof.